Everything in life happens for a reason. It's trite, but true. A friendship from the 7th grade led me to the new project I've alluded to and I couldn't be more grateful. At a time in my life when work has been stressful and looking for a new job has yielded no results, because on paper I look like a glorified secretary, I needed a way to relight my spark.
Enter: Moxy Magazine.
From a quick e-mail intro to my awesome publisher, to a dinner meeting in the city, I am now a contributing writer and board member on the project. I'm also hoping to improve upon my editing skills and get some real experience under my belt in that category (outside of grad school workshops).
This month I contributed 2 articles, which are also 2 columns I came up with the idea to include, a "How to" column and a "Top 10."
I have been writing Top 10 lists since High School, it was a fun way to get a laugh out of my friend Joanne and it turned out to be something I had a knack for and really enjoyed, and now I've turned that writing into something fit for a wider audience. I hope you enjoy it.
This blog will still focus on shopping and whatnot, but we all have different sides to us and it's a great feeling to find an outlet for a part of me that had been fading away a bit. It's back now though, in full effect.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
In My Online Absence
While I was on my unintentional blogging break I went to Vegas for a friend's 30th birthday. We stayed at The Hard Rock, where I had never stayed before, and I loved it!
Since The Hard Rock is a boutique hotel it was the perfect place for us to stay. We were a group of about 10 so the small size of the hotel made it easy to meet up at any given point.
We had (2) regular rooms and a suite and they were all really nicely designed; they kept with the rock and roll theme and had fabulous bed linens and great stereos (the suite even had a touch screen stereo that you could hook your ipod up to!).
I particularly enjoyed gambling there because their roulette table was just a $5 minimum bet all day and night. I'm not sure if it was because we were there in the office season or because they're located off the strip, or a combination of the two, but this allowed me to play for quite awhile.
Everyone who worked there was beyond friendly in a chill, relaxed way, rather than an overcompensating customer service way, which I see as a huge plus.
Saturday night we ate at Nobu and there was a plate for every price point and delicious drinks as well. Think kobe beef, sushi, tuna tacos, and even the more basic dishes with chicken looked and smelled amazing.
After dinner we headed up to the suite for a few pre-club cocktails (and a mini photo shoot, my friends crack me up) and then headed down to Vanity, the nightclub at The Hard Rock.
A good friend had been to Vanity over the summer and did not like it, she even went so far as to warn me against it, and I seriously trust her opinion and taste level. Due to this information I went in with low expectations, but I am happy to report that it far exceeded them!
The crowd outside resembled a bunch of Rock of Love rejects, but that's to be expected. I was a happy little fashionista dressed in Gucci H2T, and my friends all looked amazing as well, so I didn't really care about anyone else.
Once inside the design was very cool, very Vegas, total excess. Mirrors, LED lights in waves on the ceiling, velvet seats and an enormous chandelier as the centerpiece. The bathroom was quite literally a vanity with huge mirrors with round light bulbs going up either side and stations to sit and fix your make-up. Cute without being kitsch.
Ladies drank free champagne until midnight so we squeezed a glass in before they cut that off. You cannot be sad while sipping a glass of champagne (or prosecco or cava or any other country's version of sparkling wine for that matter), and I was in a good mood to start, so the night continued to go up from there.
They played a great mix of dance and rock and the crowd was attractive and well dressed (for the most part, that can't keep all the riff raff out) and we danced into the morning before heading back down to the casino to gamble a bit before bed.
Since The Hard Rock is a boutique hotel it was the perfect place for us to stay. We were a group of about 10 so the small size of the hotel made it easy to meet up at any given point.
We had (2) regular rooms and a suite and they were all really nicely designed; they kept with the rock and roll theme and had fabulous bed linens and great stereos (the suite even had a touch screen stereo that you could hook your ipod up to!).
I particularly enjoyed gambling there because their roulette table was just a $5 minimum bet all day and night. I'm not sure if it was because we were there in the office season or because they're located off the strip, or a combination of the two, but this allowed me to play for quite awhile.
Everyone who worked there was beyond friendly in a chill, relaxed way, rather than an overcompensating customer service way, which I see as a huge plus.
Saturday night we ate at Nobu and there was a plate for every price point and delicious drinks as well. Think kobe beef, sushi, tuna tacos, and even the more basic dishes with chicken looked and smelled amazing.
After dinner we headed up to the suite for a few pre-club cocktails (and a mini photo shoot, my friends crack me up) and then headed down to Vanity, the nightclub at The Hard Rock.
A good friend had been to Vanity over the summer and did not like it, she even went so far as to warn me against it, and I seriously trust her opinion and taste level. Due to this information I went in with low expectations, but I am happy to report that it far exceeded them!
The crowd outside resembled a bunch of Rock of Love rejects, but that's to be expected. I was a happy little fashionista dressed in Gucci H2T, and my friends all looked amazing as well, so I didn't really care about anyone else.
Once inside the design was very cool, very Vegas, total excess. Mirrors, LED lights in waves on the ceiling, velvet seats and an enormous chandelier as the centerpiece. The bathroom was quite literally a vanity with huge mirrors with round light bulbs going up either side and stations to sit and fix your make-up. Cute without being kitsch.
Ladies drank free champagne until midnight so we squeezed a glass in before they cut that off. You cannot be sad while sipping a glass of champagne (or prosecco or cava or any other country's version of sparkling wine for that matter), and I was in a good mood to start, so the night continued to go up from there.
They played a great mix of dance and rock and the crowd was attractive and well dressed (for the most part, that can't keep all the riff raff out) and we danced into the morning before heading back down to the casino to gamble a bit before bed.
Hiatus Explained
It's been quite awhile since I've posted, but with good reason. I've been working on another project that I'm extremely excited about. I'm not going to give you all of the details just yet, but know that there will be an update soon.
There have been quite a few ups and downs lately, but working on a this project has helped me trudge forward in times of difficulty. What I'm contributing to it is all mine and I look forward to sharing it.
The woman running it is even more organized and anal than I am, which I knew was possible, but wasn't sure if it required intensive therapy (it doesn't, she's just fabulous and beyond hardworking). Needless to say, we get along great.
Expect a link to the mystery project to be posted by the end of the week!
There have been quite a few ups and downs lately, but working on a this project has helped me trudge forward in times of difficulty. What I'm contributing to it is all mine and I look forward to sharing it.
The woman running it is even more organized and anal than I am, which I knew was possible, but wasn't sure if it required intensive therapy (it doesn't, she's just fabulous and beyond hardworking). Needless to say, we get along great.
Expect a link to the mystery project to be posted by the end of the week!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Yoga: For Beginners
There are a few things that have always been consistent with my character: I generally run into someone everywhere I go and I'm usually running about 5 minutes late.
In the past year or so I've really worked on my punctuality, unfortunately, today I had a lapse at a rather inopportune time: walking into my very first yoga class.
Oh yes, I was that girl.
I walked into the gym at 5:00 on the dot, when class was starting, and ran into a girl I knew from High School. She worked there and assured me they probably hadn't started yet and had a coworker walk me to the other building where they hold classes.
Perhaps the fact that I had to go back outside should have been enough to signal that I should just do some cardio and call it a night. But no, I'm stubborn (which is also consistent with my character) and continued.
I walked into the room and everyone was already lying down on their mats. I looked behind me, as though the kind staffer who walked me over was also going to introduce me like the new kid in the first grade, and then grabbed a mat and joined the rest of the class on the floor.
Thankfully she was still in the breathing/warm-up portion so I caught up simply by catching my breath. Maybe this yoga thing wouldn't be so bad after all...
And surprisingly it wasn't. Sure there was the moment that I realized I hadn't grabbed a strap and the man next to me had to gesture across the room to where they were located, and the 3rd time we did downward-facing-dog where the teacher came over and fixed the way I was holding my back, and the violent shaking when it came time for abs (which the lovely instructor, who was probably all of 19 years old, was kind enough to tell me was a good thing, "it means it's working!"), but I've made worse physical foul ups.
I made it through to the end, apologized to the instructor for being late, and exited (much more quietly and more relaxed than when I entered).
Looks like I'll live to 'namaste' another day.
In the past year or so I've really worked on my punctuality, unfortunately, today I had a lapse at a rather inopportune time: walking into my very first yoga class.
Oh yes, I was that girl.
I walked into the gym at 5:00 on the dot, when class was starting, and ran into a girl I knew from High School. She worked there and assured me they probably hadn't started yet and had a coworker walk me to the other building where they hold classes.
Perhaps the fact that I had to go back outside should have been enough to signal that I should just do some cardio and call it a night. But no, I'm stubborn (which is also consistent with my character) and continued.
I walked into the room and everyone was already lying down on their mats. I looked behind me, as though the kind staffer who walked me over was also going to introduce me like the new kid in the first grade, and then grabbed a mat and joined the rest of the class on the floor.
Thankfully she was still in the breathing/warm-up portion so I caught up simply by catching my breath. Maybe this yoga thing wouldn't be so bad after all...
And surprisingly it wasn't. Sure there was the moment that I realized I hadn't grabbed a strap and the man next to me had to gesture across the room to where they were located, and the 3rd time we did downward-facing-dog where the teacher came over and fixed the way I was holding my back, and the violent shaking when it came time for abs (which the lovely instructor, who was probably all of 19 years old, was kind enough to tell me was a good thing, "it means it's working!"), but I've made worse physical foul ups.
I made it through to the end, apologized to the instructor for being late, and exited (much more quietly and more relaxed than when I entered).
Looks like I'll live to 'namaste' another day.
Friday, November 12, 2010
From Old T-Shirts to New Activewear
One day on my drive to the tanning salon, which was just a few minutes from my house, I realized that, if I lived in the city, I could easily walk the distance.
However, I'm an impatient person and walking takes too long, so I decided I'd run it. You inevitably smell like tanning booth when you leave anyway (I describe this as a medley of tanning lotion and sanitizer, which kind of smells like Malibu Rum, which I hate), so what's a little perspiration added to the mix?
I clocked the distance on Gmaps Pedometer, which is an amazing site if you've never heard of it, and figured out that it was .98 of a mile. Seriously do-able.
That was 4 years ago and, while I no longer tan, I recently started running again and I'm up to 3 miles 2-4 times a week.
Unfortunately the weather is getting colder and, thanks to daylight savings time, it's now dark when I get home so I need to figure out an alternative. So it looks like I'll be doing the unthinkable: joining a gym.
The beauty of running is that it's free and, as an added bonus, you don't have to talk to anyone. With my headphones on "I'm in the zone, Chief" and no one can bother me. I also get to wear a frighteningly beat-up workout ensemble of old college/bar/vacation t-shirts and lacrosse shorts or cotton leggings. But now, while I don't plan on socializing while I'm at the gym, I know I'm going to feel out of place if I don't look the part, at least a little bit.
So tonight I'm going to Old Navy , armed with a 30% off coupon that also gives to charity, to spend as little as possible on active wear.
I hate paying money to replace my perfectly functional ratty old lax shorts, complete with paints stains from a summer gig a few years back, but at least I'll be doing good for charity. And working out improves my mood, which is charity for the people who have to see me everyday as well :)
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
End of Day Update
While my wallet won't be happy to hear it, my hands still feel amazing - over 12 hours after application!
Thankfully they sell La Prairie at Nordstrom so I can at least get some points when I purchase this amazingly effective cellular hand cream.
It looks like a trip to the mall is in my near future.
Thankfully they sell La Prairie at Nordstrom so I can at least get some points when I purchase this amazingly effective cellular hand cream.
It looks like a trip to the mall is in my near future.
La Prairie Plug
Fall has rushed in as quickly as, well, me when I'm late to a hair appointment. So quickly, in fact, that I didn't even notice that my hands have begun their winter transformation to sandpaper.
Try as I may to avoid it, every year my hands get super rough with the change of the seasons. Think Scarlet O'Hara when she goes to see Rhett Butler in prison and he realizes she's been working in the fields (minus the actual manual labor).
Over the years I've tried multiple hand creams and solutions;
Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream (this is like Chapstick - it creates a protective wax coating, which prevents further damage, but does nothing to actually repair)
Bath & Body Works Look Ma New Hands cream with paraffin (definitely nourishing, but quickly removed the first time you wash your hands which, in cold season especially, means constant reapplication)
Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve (a combination of the previously mentioned creams).
Since the Kiehl's seems to get the job done, but still needs time to soak in, I apply it before bed. You can feel the residue washing off in the morning, but at least it feels like it did some work first.
This morning my mother gave me the sample she got of La Praire Cellular Hand Cream so I used it when I got to work and the heavens opened up the angels sang and my hands feel like velvet.
Granted velvet has it's price, $95 to be exact, but I might be willing to make an exception, you know, just this once.
Try as I may to avoid it, every year my hands get super rough with the change of the seasons. Think Scarlet O'Hara when she goes to see Rhett Butler in prison and he realizes she's been working in the fields (minus the actual manual labor).
Over the years I've tried multiple hand creams and solutions;
Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream (this is like Chapstick - it creates a protective wax coating, which prevents further damage, but does nothing to actually repair)
Bath & Body Works Look Ma New Hands cream with paraffin (definitely nourishing, but quickly removed the first time you wash your hands which, in cold season especially, means constant reapplication)
Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve (a combination of the previously mentioned creams).
Since the Kiehl's seems to get the job done, but still needs time to soak in, I apply it before bed. You can feel the residue washing off in the morning, but at least it feels like it did some work first.
This morning my mother gave me the sample she got of La Praire Cellular Hand Cream so I used it when I got to work and the heavens opened up the angels sang and my hands feel like velvet.
Granted velvet has it's price, $95 to be exact, but I might be willing to make an exception, you know, just this once.
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